On Feb. 19, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled in favor of firm client Mentor Graphics Corp., finding that nine out of 12 claims of its patent related to prototyping circuits challenged by Synopsys Inc. were patentable. It marked the first time the USPTO upheld the bulk of a patent in the inter partes review process since the new America Invents Act proceeding took effect in September 2012.